Awning door



R. E. THOMPSON Nov. 13, 1934.

AWNING DOOR v2'Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 29, 1932 wa M Nov. 13, 1934. R.E. THOMPSON I AWNING DOOR Filed July 29. .1932

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CURRENT SUPPLY My llazz gw? Patented Nov. 13, 1934UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" 1 Claim.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction andmethod of mounting for a door for garages and the like, which door ismovable from vertical closing position to a sub- "stantially horizontalposition above the door opening, in which latter position it not only isentirely out of the way so far as obstructing space in and about thedoorway is concerned, but it also serves as a protective canopy, aportion of the door projecting beyond and above the door open- A furtherobject of the invention is to provide an improved door which movesupwardly and inwardly of the building to open position and which issuspended and counterbalanced in such manner that a minimum of force isneeded for operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a door of thecharacter set forth which embodies simplicity of construction andeconomy of cost and is also capableof being quickly and easily installedand is characterized by ease of operation and durability in use.

Another and further object of the invention is to provide a door of thekind set forth which is capable of being installed in locations wherethere is a minimum of space above the door opening as well as at thesides thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an upwardly moving doorwhich is provided with novel and efficient guiding means.

Still another object is to provide an improved construction for aself-aligning pulley for the door chains.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of mydevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and i lustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an interior view showing myimproved door in closed position.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,-the dottedlines indicating the door in open position.

Figure 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, illustratingone of the horizontal guide tracks andalso the means for adjusting aroller bracket to compensate for possible changes in the floor level ofthe door opening.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Figure l andillustrating various positions of a part of a mechanical door operatingmechanism.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective of a portion of one of the verticalguide tracks and the rollers cooperating therewith.

Figures 6 to 10 inclusive are diagrammatic views illustrating variouspositions assumed by the door in traveling from closed to open position.

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the .door operatingmechanism, particularly with respect to the means for automaticallystopping the motor at the end of each operation for moving the dooreither to or from open position.

Figures 12 and 13 are plan view and side elevation respectively of aself-aligning pulley which may be employed.

In the drawings I have employed the numeral 12 to designate the doorproper and this door may be of any suitable dimensions and be employedfor closing a door opening 14 in a wall 16 which may be part of agarage, factory, warehouse, barn or other building. For convenience inlocating certain of the parts, the structure is also illustrated ashaving a ceiling 1'8 and a rear wall 20 opposed to the wall 16 in whichthe opening is formed.

A cross. rail 22 is fixed to and extends transversely of the inner faceof the door 12, approximately midway between its upper and lowermargins, said cross rail extending entirely across the door and itslength being governed by the width thereof.

At each side of the door opening 14 is fixed a vertical guide track Aand a horizontal guide track 13, the vertical tracks occupying positionsextending throughout somewhat more than the upper one-half of the dooropening and the horizontal tracks extending rearwardly or inwardly ofthe building from positions adjacent the upper ends of the verticaltracks. The vertical tracks A may be aflixed vertically to the doorjambs or frame members and the horizontal tracks B may be supported bymeans of brackets or braces 24 and 26.

Each of the vertical tracks A is of channel formation and has itsopening directed inwardly toward the door opening 14. The side walls ofthe channel tracks A are of uneven width, that wall which is fixed tothe door frame being of greater width than the other and terminating ina guide flange 28 while the'narrower wall terminates in a guide flange30. The flanges 28 and 30 are directed inwardly of the channeled trackand occupy spaced parallel planes as shown particularly in Figure 5.

Fixed to each end of the cross rail 22 of the door is a spindle 32 onwhich a pair of grooved rollers groove 'of the outermost roller 36engages and travels on the guide flange 30. As the door is A moved up ordown the rollers 34 and 36 of course rotate in opposite directions andin conjunction with the parts of the guide tracks A they serve to guideand steady the door in its movements and also to eliminate endwisemovement of the spindles 32 and sidewise movement of the door.

The guide tracks B are also of channel formation as shown in Figure 3and they likewise open inwardly toward the door opening. The innermargins of the channeled tracks B are defined by inwardly extendingflanges 38 which serve to partially close the channel opening and toretain rollers as hereinafter set forth.

A bracket 40 is fixed to the inner face of the door 12 near each uppercorner thereof, preferably by means of bolts or screws 42 extendingadjustably through" vertical slots 44 in the brackets. The brackets 40project beyond the side margins of the door and are then turnedrearwardly and carry studs or spindles 46 on which rollers 48 arerotatably mounted, said rollers being arranged for travel in thechanneled'tracks B and the spindles 48 extending through the open spacesdefined by the flanges 38 of said tracks.

The purpose of the adjustablemounting of the brackets 40 by means of theslots 44 is to provide means for adjusting the door 12 vertically incase there should he need. This provides means for compensating for anychanges which may occur in the floor level at the position of the dooropening, such changes sometimes being occasioned by the influence offrost or similar natural phenomenon. v

- The door is supported and suspended by means of a pair of chains 50',one located at each side of the doorway and fixed at one end to a sidemargin of the door or, preferably, to one end of the central cross rail22 or spindle 32 carried thereby. The chains 50, when the door is inclosed position, extend upwardly through the vertical guide tracks A andthence over direction pulleys 52 suitably located above the dooropening. The chains thence extend inwardly toward the center line of thedoor opening and engage other pulleys 52 near the median line of thedoor. The inner end portions of the two chains 50 are then Joined to acommon operating strand or a chain 56 which normally extends inwardly alimited distance within the room or building in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the front wall 16 and then returns and is fixed atits'opposite end to the upper central portion of the door 12, as bymeans of an eye bolt 58.

The bight of the operating chain 56 is mov ably engaged by a floatingpulley 60 and to this pulley is attached a counterweight chain 62 whichserves to support a counterweight 64. The counterweight 64 may beattached directly to the chain 62, particularly where the door isinstalled and arranged for manual actuation only. In the Thecounterweight chain may extend over a V pulley 66 carried by the rearwall 20 so that the counterweight 64 is arranged for vertical travel1,oso,soa

against the face of said. wall. However, it is to be understood that thevarious chainsmay be extended in any suitable direction and thecounterweight may be placed in any desired location relative to the dooropening.

'The counterweight 64 substantially counterbalances the weight of thedoor 12 and the parts carried thereby so that very little effort is.required -for lifting and moving the door to open position and that whenthe initial impulse is given the door will travel slowly by gravity toclosing position. This eliminates the greater part of the strain on allof the moving parts except the chains, and makes the door very easy tooperate.

The door operating mechanism which is here shown and described includesa motor 68 which may be mounted on the ceiling L8 and which is suppliedwith current through conductors 70,71,

72 and 73 connected with a suitable source of.

current supply as disclosed by the diagram in Figure 11.

. The armature shaft of the motor 68 extends within a gear casing 74within which is arranged suitable gearing, not shown, for impartingmovement to a crank 76 arranged for movement in a horizontal planebeneath the ceiling 18. 'A cross head 78 has a central swivel connectionto the free end of the crank arm 76 and to the respective ends of saidcross head are attached the adjacent ends of the strands 62 and 62a ofthe counter- The circuit to the motor 68 is controlled by a:

manually operable spring switch 80 which isnormally in open position andwhich is manually closed for starting the motor.

Means is provided for automatically breaking the circuit and stoppingthe motor whenever the crank arm has moved through one-half a revolutionand reaches either of the positions shown in Figure 4. This automaticcircuit breaking means includes a switch lever 82 which carries acontact member 84 adapted to engage a stationary contact member 86, saidlever being constrained toward circuit closing position by a spring 88.

The operating mechanism connected with the motor includes a cam disc 90which is rotated during movement of the operating mechanism and which isformed with two peripheralcam projections 92. The cam projections 92 arearranged on diametrically opposite sides of the disc 90 and are adaptedto successively engage the switch lever 82 and move it to circuitbreaking position as shown in Figure 11, thereby breaking the circuitand stopping the motor and the operating mechanism.

The operation of opening the door will now be described in detail, itbeing understood that the movement of the door and parts connectedtherewith is the same regardless of whether the operation is performedmanually or by the operating mechanism heretofore described, or by othermeans. If the door is opened manually it may be accomplished by a pullexerted upon the counterweight chain 62 from some convenient location orby lifting force applied directly to the door itself as through theinstrumentallty of a handle 94, in which instance the pull on thecounterweight chain is effected by the counterweight itself.

When the door 12 is closed it fits snugly within the door opening 14,its lower part engaging stops 96 arranged vertically on the oppositemargins of the door opening and extending downwardly from points nearthe location of the center cross rail 22. It is obvious, therefore, thatthe force initially applied for causing the door to open must be in thenature of a rearward pull at the top of the door to cause it to turn ona horizontal pivot defined by the cross rail 22, spindles 32, androllers 34 and 36. This initial force may be occasioned by a rearward orinward pull on the counterweight chain 62, or by a slight manual pulloutwardly on the handle 94, if the operator stands outside the door, orby an outward push on the lower inner part of the door, such manualforce in either instance being supplemented by action of thecounterweight 64.

The initial or closed position of the door and the chains is illustrateddiagrammatically in Figure 6, and the first movement which occurs inopening the door is illustrated in Figure '1. It will be remembered thatthe connection of the counterweight chain 62 to the operating chain 56is a loose or movable connection, the operating chain being fixed to thedoor at two points, namely at one end at the point 58 near the top ofthe door, and then near the center of the side margins of the door bythe two supporting chains 50. Draft rearwardly on the chain 62 willnecessarily first be applied as an inward pull at the point 58 so thatthe top of the door is swung inwardly as illustrated in Figure '7. Thepulley 60 is free to shift along the chain 56 towardthe point 58 as suchforce is applied.

As the moving force is continued. principally by draft on the chain 62,the door 12 gradually turns from vertical position through an arc towardhorizontal position, the pulleys 34 and 36 at each side of the doortraveling in contact with the flanges 28 and 30 of the guide tracks Aand the rollers 48 traveling in the horizontal guide tracks B. Thiscontinued movement of the door is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. and itwill be noted that there is a combination of forces acting upon the .twodifferent parts of the operating chain 56, as separated by the pulley60, one force acting to pull the top portion of the door rearwardly andthe other force acting to lift the central portion of the door upwardly.The pulley 60 may in such movement shift away from the point 58 alongthe chain 56, inasmuch as the greater force will then be required forbodily lifting the door through the chains 50.

The door finally comes to rest in substantially horizontal position asillustrated in Figure 10, and is supported in such position by thechains and counterweight until started by either a manual downward pullon the door or by a lifting pull on the chain which supports thecounterweight.

When the door is in open position its bottom portion, comprisingsubstantially the lower onehalf thereof, projects outwardly in nearlyhorizontal position from the top of the door opening 14. It thusprovides an awning or canopy which serves to protect the entranceopening and the forward part of the room or building from sun or rain.It provides shade or a dry spot and increases the available workingspace in the event it is desired-to work on an automobile located withinthe room.

Because of the method of hanging the door and of moving it toward andfrom open position, very little space is required above the top of thedoor opening or ,at the sides thereof. In fact, it .has been found thata clearance of three inches between the top of the door opening and theceiling 18 is sufficient and that a clearance of two and one-half inchesat either side is ample to provide space for the guide tracks.

Furthermore, it is possible for an automobile to stand very close to thedoor opening and yet not interfere with the operation of the door. Infact, an object such as an automobile may rest against the inner face ofthe door and not interfere with its operation because the first movementis an outward swinging movement of the door at its lower margin and acorresponding inv ward swinging movement at the top, which of course islocated at suflicient elevation to be above the top of any vehicle whichis capable of moving through the entrance opening. At no time during itsmovement does the door assume a position in which it would strike therear or top of an automobile of usual construction particularly whenequipped with rearwardly projecting bumpers.

As the door is suspended from its center and is nicely counterbalanced,it requires but a few pounds of pressure to operate either to or fromopen position and it will slide up or down practically of its ownaccount with slight pressure. It can be operated just as easily from theinterior as from the exterior of the building and when used inresidential basement garages it is capable of being operated from theroom above, through ropes or chains connected with the counterweightchain, or by operation of a switch in case the mechanical door operatoris employed.

Both the vertical tracks A and horizontal tracks B are employed solelyas guides for the operation of the door and they carry no weight, theentire weight of the door and its fittings being carried by the chains.Because of this method of suspension there are few parts which can getout of order or require replacement.

In Figures 12 and 13 I show a form of swivel or self-aligning pulleywhich may be employed for the chains of the door in lieu of any or allof the pulleys shown in the other parts of the drawings.

In these views the pulley itself is designated by the numeral 96 and itis joumaled in a channeled carrier 98.

A right-angled bracket 100 is fixed to the wall 16 where the pulley isto be located, one portion of the bracket being placed in contact withand fixed to the wall'while the other part of the bracket extendsoutwardly in a horizontal plane. The carrier 98 for the pulley isprovided at its closed upper part with a recurved strap 102 whichembraces the horizontal part of the bracket 100 and is pivoted theretoby a rivet or bolt 104, thus permitting the can'ier and the pulley toswing on a vertical axis relative to the bracket as indicated in Figure12. The forward margin of the horizontal part of the bracket preferablyis curved on an are having the pivot 104 at its center.

By using this type of pulley the chains for the door may be extended inany desired direction, and furthermore, the pulley is capable of limitedswinging movement to compensate for changes in the direction of thechain during movefnents' in such manner that they slope somewhat towardthe upper ends of the track members Aan advantage is secured,particularly with respect to the closing of the door when the rollers 48reach a position near the upper ends of the members A. This arrangementalso makes it somewhat easier to start the door on its upward movement.I

I claim as my invention:--

In a door structure, a door frame, a vertical guide track attached atthe side thereof, said guide track comprising, an inwardly openingchannel having one side wall of greater width than the other or opposedside wall and each side wall terminating in a vertical flange extendinginwardly of the channel, thereby forming a pair of guide elements spacedapart in both horizontal directions, a door and a pair of groovedrollers attached at the side of said door'and engaging the respectiveguide elements and adapt-' ed for travel thereon, said rollers engagingthe respective vertical flangeso! said guide element and being caused-bysuch engagement to rotate oppositely to each other during upward ordownward travel of the rollers.

RUTHERFORD E. THOMPSOIE.

